brainpopfandomcom-20200223-history
Civil Rights/Transcript/Different Version
Transcript An black-and-white image shows people sitting on a bus. Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby are eating lunch in a cafeteria. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What was the Civil Rights Movement? From P.J. The American Civil Rights Movement was about having universal rights for all people, regardless of race. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Before the 1960s, America was a very different place. An animation shows an African American man approaching a restaurant’s counter. A sign reads “Whites Only.” An employee behind the counter gestures for the man to leave. TIM: In many parts of the country, African Americans were barred from lots of public spaces. Movie theaters, restaurants, buses and trains, all had separate areas for black and white customers. Images show a movie theater, restaurant window, train car, and public restrooms with signs reading “For Colored People” and “Whites Only.” The restroom doors are labeled “Colored” and “White.” TIM: African American also had to live in separate neighborhoods, and couldn't hold the same jobs as whites. This practice of separating African Americans from white people was called segregation. An image shows nice homes with green lawns on one side of a fence, and smaller, modest homes on dirt on the other side of the fence. Another image shows a fancy drinking fountain labeled “White” and a bucket of water labeled “Colored.” TIM: Segregation was widespread, touching every part of society. Even at school. Side-by-side imaged show a classroom for white students and a classroom for African-American students. MOBY: Beep? TIM: One turning point came in 1951, with an African-American student named Linda Brown. She was barred from attending the school closer to her home. Instead, she had to ride a bus to a black school across town. An image shows Linda Brown walking close to train tracks while carrying her sack lunch. TIM: So, her father joined a dozen other parents and sued the school board. By 1954, the case had gone all the way to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. It was a landmark case known as Brown versus The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. An image shows the exterior of the Supreme Court building and the front page of a newspaper reading “Court Bans Segregation in Public School Cases.” MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, it wasn't that simple. These new laws had to be enforced. And there were still lots of other laws and customs that discriminated against African Americans. In 1955, an activist named Rosa Parks took a seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Soon the bus filled up, leaving no free seats for white passengers. When the driver told Parks to give up her seat, she refused, and was arrested. An animation shows Rosa Parks sitting on a bus while a white man approaches her. Another animation shows Rosa Parks being fingerprinted at a police station. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, that was the rule back then in Alabama, and throughout most of the South. African Americans had to give up their seats if any white people were standing. An animation shows a white bus passenger approaching a seated African-American passenger. The black passenger gives up his seat and walks toward the back of the bus. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Jo Ann Robinson, another activist, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, organized a boycott of the city’s bus system. An image shows Jo Ann Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr. TIM: Black citizens of Montgomery refused to ride on the buses for more than a year. They chose to walk rather than submit to unfair regulations. An image shows African Americans walking past an empty bus. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The boycott led to a lawsuit, and in 1956, a Supreme Court decision banned segregated buses. An image shows the exterior of the Supreme Court building and an animation shows a judge banging a gavel. TIM: But the fight still wasn't over. Dr. King and other brave activists organized nonviolent protests across the nation. During sit-ins, black students visited “whites only” lunch counters. They quietly sat there until they were served, or until the store closed. As a result, they were often harassed, or even arrested. An animation shows African Americans seated at a “Whites Only” lunch counter. Someone throws a cup at them. TIM: And Freedom Riders rode buses from other states throughout the South. They were there to make sure the buses were integrated, with blacks and whites sitting next to each other, like the law said. These peaceful protests were often met with anger, and sometimes violence. An image shows inside of a bus with white and black passengers next to one another. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, it's hard to imagine how something like that would make people so mad. But people often feel threatened by change. The movement reached a high point with the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the heart of the country’s capital. An image shows the Washington Monument, and a large number of people gathered in front of it, some holding up signs. TIM: Dr. King delivered his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. An image shows Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking in front of the large crowd. TIM: The very next year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed all discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or ethnicity. Public facilities could no longer be segregated, and businesses would have to make an effort to hire a more diverse workforce. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The door to racial equality had opened, but there was still a long way to go. New laws were just the beginning. It took years of struggle before they were fully enforced. Four images show a mug shot of an African-American woman, Dr. King speaking, Dr. King and others marching in a street, and police officers using their bats to hit African-American protesters. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, changing people's prejudices—that's something no law can fix. African Americans have continued to face violence and discrimination. But dedicated activists are keeping the world's attention on the issue. The legacy of the Civil Rights Movement lives on in these new generations. And in other groups who have been inspired by its successes. An image of protestors appears, with signs that read “My Life Matters,” “Black Lives Matter,” “White Silence is Violence,” and “Stop Police Violence.” MOBY: Beep. TIM: Women, immigrants, gay and transgender people. These groups and others are still struggling to be treated with dignity. Whether it's fighting for equal pay, the freedom to live proudly and openly, or the right to simply be left in peace. If there's one thing we've learned from the Civil Rights Movement, it's that history is on their side. Four images show more protestors holding up signs for different causes. The signs read “My Life Matters,” “I Deserve Equality,” and “Full Rights for Immigrants.” Another displays the transgender symbol. MOBY: Beep. TIM: You have a dream, too? Let's hear it. Moby splatters ketchup on a pretzel then crushes the ketchup bottle into the pretzel. MOBY: Beep. Tim grimaces. TIM: Oh gee, I wish I could hear the rest but class is starting, bye! Category:BrainPOP Transcripts